I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
by DharmaMotorPool
Summary: 'Twas the week before Christmas, and in Emily's head, a plan was concocted for Gill and Em's dad.  Super-fluffy Christmas fic. Scheming Emily, tree decorating, dancing, singing, mistletoe, and plenty of hot cocoa to go around. Happy Holidays, everyone!


**A/N: Just a whole lot of Christmas fluff. Trees, music, cocoa, and a fair amount of Emily-scheming. Oh, and there's a special little shout-out to Natalie (Calculated Artificiality) in this fic – those of you who read her holiday stories will know it when you see it. I hope :) Enjoy, and Merry early Christmas!**

_'Twas the week before Christmas, and in Emily's head, a plan was concocted for Gill and Em's dad.  
The mistletoe was hung o'er the doorway with care, in hopes that the two of them soon would stand there.  
And as she snuggled that night in her bed, visions of family danced in her head.  
The next morning she decided, as she put on her cap, that today was the day she would bridge this gap…_

"A Christmas tree? Em, in case it's slipped your mind, we've already got one of those."

"Yeah, a big old plastic knockoff one," Emily objected, "Daaad, come on, we need a _real_ tree this year."

"You've been perfectly happy with the plastic knockoff for your whole life and now suddenly you need a real one? Pardon me if I don't see the appeal in draggin' a giant tree all the way home and havin' pine needles all over my floor for the next year, darling."

"But dad, we wouldn't have to drag it _that_ far," she insisted, "And besides, we could enlist some help. Gill could come with us!"

Realization hit him then. "Ahhh, so _Gill_ put this idea in your head, did she?"

"Well, no. I mean, she was talking to me about how she used to pick out a tree with her family every year when she was growing up, and how there was music and hot cocoa afterwards while they decorated it, and it just sounded like fun, okay? I can think for myself, you know," she said, crossing her arms defensively, though only pretending to be annoyed.

"I know, love," Cal said with a chuckle, "Well then, if it's a real tree ya want, a real tree's what you'll get. But you an' Gill are gonna have to do most of the heavy liftin'," he teased.

"You're gonna make the _girls_ carry the tree? That isn't very manly of you, dad."

"Your dad is _very_ manly, and don't you forget it," he replied with a stern look that melted into a laugh.

"Right. Absolutely. I'll just tell Gillian that your arms are too weak to handle a 40 pound Christmas tree…"

"You'll do no such thing, young lady."

Emily smirked, "Then you'll help us? And we'll have music and cocoa and decorate the tree together, all three of us?"

"You like her better than me, don'cha?"

"Of course I do," she replied, grinning innocently and pulling him into a hug, "But I love you best," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Bloody suck-up," he muttered with a smile, kissing her forehead, "Run off and tell your new BFF, then, if you must."

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever speak to me in text-talk."

"Why not? I think it makes me sound younger."

"Trust me, dad, it doesn't," Emily told him, still grinning. She turned and scurried down the hall of the Lightman Group, heading straight for Gillian's office. She practically bounced through the door, her face all aglow. "Hey, Gill, you don't have plans tonight, do you?"

_x x x_

"Well _that_ was the most tiring ordeal I've had in years," Cal said, flopping onto the couch as soon as the tree was set up in its stand in their living room.

"You really need to get out more," Gillian teased, shooting him a playful grin as she and Emily teased the branches to make the tree look fuller.

"The pair of you, honestly! _'Oh this one's so cute! But this one's so Charlie Brown adorable! But this one's bigger! No wait, this one will compliment the décor better!'_" he joked, mocking them. Each girl picked up a pillow and chucked it at him. "Hey now, no need for that!" he cried out, though he couldn't keep from laughing.

"Come on, dad, I brought all the ornaments out this morning, and Gill brought some over, too. Now do we want white lights or multi-colored?"

"White," Cal and Gillian said simultaneously.

Emily groaned, "You guys are so predictable! Multi-colored are much more fun," she insisted.

"Well, have it your way then, love," Cal told her with a chuckle.

"How cute are the two of you, though, both wanting white, speaking at the same time…it's like you're soul mates," Em teased, grinning as she took the colored lights from their box.

"So it seems…when it comes to Christmas lights, anyway," Cal replied with a boyish grin.

"Music!" Gillian randomly interjected after a moment's silence, "We need music."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Emily said, excited, temporarily abandoning the lights and scampering over to her iHome system.

"Now Em, none of that silly—"

_Haul out the holly, put up the tree before my spirit falls again…_

"Glee music," Cal finished, sneering at his daughter as the song began.

Gillian and Emily giggled with…well, glee. "Oh come on, dad, it's fun. Live a little. Who needs dusty old records when there's iTunes?"

"Yeah, Cal, _live_ a little," Gillian repeated with a teasing tone, a half smirk on her lips, "This Glee stuff's not bad."

"Oh no, not you too," he groaned playfully, "Em, you've gone and corrupted my best friend! What am I to do now?"

"I'll listen to Ol' Blue Eyes with you later," Gillian promised, picking through the small box of ornaments she'd brought with her. "Aha!" she exclaimed, finding the one she was looking for. It was a tiny female figurine in a business suit, carrying a briefcase with _Gillian_ painted on it. Emily had bought it for her the Christmas before, for the Secret Santa gift exchange.

"Oh my gosh, you brought it!" Emily squealed with delight.

"Somebody's definitely not getting any more sugar tonight," Cal teased, "No cocoa for you."

Emily shot him a look of utter contempt, "Oh, there will be cocoa. Make no mistake." Her expression softened, and Gillian handed her the ornament, which she gingerly hung on a branch just level to her eyes. "Perfect."

"It's very becoming," Cal complimented genuinely, "But darling, don't you think we oughta hang the lights before we start with the ornaments?"

"I know, I just got excited," Emily said, prompting a chuckle from Cal and Gillian.

Once the tree was aglow with lights of every color, Cal retreated to the kitchen to make cocoa while Gillian and Emily begun with the decorating. "Don't forget the marshmallows!" Gillian called to him.

"What's that, love? No marshmallows for you? Alright, not a problem."

"Cal!"

"What?" he called back innocently.

"Don't. Forget. The marshmallows."

Cal laughed at her dire seriousness, "Don't worry, love, there's marshmallows a-plenty in here," he reassured her.

_I really can't stay  
But baby, it's cold outside…_

Gillian and Emily began a candid duet as the song filled the room, dancing with each other as they hung each ornament.

"My mother will start to worry," Emily sang, hands on her hips.

"Beautiful, what's your hurry?" Gillian replied in song.

"My father will be pacing the floor!" Emily belted, pointing towards the kitchen with a tremendously entertaining expression on her face. Gillian missed the next lyrics for laughing so hard.

"Oi! What's goin' on in here? Can't leave you two alone for a minute, can I?" Cal said, walking into the room with three steaming mugs of cocoa (marshmallows not forgotten).

"What's going on is that we're having _fun_, dad," Emily teased, "Don't you know how to do that yet?"

"Of course I do!" he replied defensively.

"Prove it! Come on, Cal, sing with me," Gillian insisted, grabbing his hands and dancing, "I ought to say no, no, no, sir," she sang, looking at him for the next line, which he delivered, twirling Gillian around.

"Mind if I move in closer?" he sang, pulling her in by the waist.

"At least I'm gonna say that I tried," she sang through her bout of the giggles.

"What's the sense in hurtin' my pride?" he sang with a mock-sad expression.

"I really can't stay,"

"Baby, don't hold out,"

"Oh, but it's cold outside!" They finished the verse together, Emily having fallen onto the couch, clutching her stomach as she laughed.

"You guys…should never…_ever_ sing in public…" she managed to say.

"What? I think we're rather good, don't you, Gill?"

"Absolutely we are! We should sing. All the time. In front of Emily's friends."

"Where's Liam? Invite him over, we'll embarrass you somethin' wonderful!" Cal said with a devilish grin.

"No! Oh please, _please_ don't ever do that to me," Emily begged, hands clasped, though she was still laughing with them.

"Wait…your father just gave you permission to invite your boyfriend over and you're gonna pass it up? Are we really _that_ embarrassing?" Gillian asked, faking a look of mortification, placing her hands over her heart.

Emily laughed and shook her head, "_You_ aren't…but _him_? That's another story."

"Excuse me? You know, that's hurtful, Em, really. I think you owe me an apology before I let you have any of my special cocoa," Cal said huffily, crossing his arms and pretending to be massively offended.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I love you, you're the best dad ever and you sing better than Justin Timberlake, just don't deprive me of my cocoa!"

Gillian crept toward the table during their exchange and discretely picked up a mug, backing away slowly and taking a long, luxurious sip.

"Don't think we didn't see that. You're no Bond girl, darling," Cal told her, grinning sweetly.

"Oh, and I suppose you're just a regular 007?" she teased back.

"Absobloodlutely, love. I take my cocoa shaken, not stirred, _thankyouverymuch_." Emily took advantage of his distraction to grab hold of her own mug, and both girls laughed. Cal chuckled and shook his head, walking over to the now only half-full boxes of ornaments. "Alright, you hooligans, let's finish with these decorations, shall we?" Cal suggested, rifling through the box and plucking out a small ornament. It was a tiny baby sleeping on a bed suspended at each corner by a gold chain. On the bottom, there was a tiny key that played music when turned.

"My first ornament," Emily said with a nostalgic smile. Though she couldn't remember receiving the ornament, she did recall the stories her father told her about their first few Christmases. Though, as much as she used to love Christmas with her parents, she was finding that Christmas with her dad and Gillian always seemed to be so much better. She loved her mother with all her heart, but…well…she was no Gillian. That was exactly the reason Emily had arranged this little get-together. The holidays were the _perfect_ time to make the dreams she had for her family come true.

_x x x_

Once the tree had been decorated to their satisfaction, Emily removed the star from its box and handed it to Gillian, "I think you should do the honors this year, Gill."

Gillian couldn't help but tear up, "Thanks, Em," she said, kissing her cheek. Cal gave his daughter a "well done, Em" nod and put his arm around his daughter as Gillian stood on her tiptoes to place the star atop their tree.

"Beautiful," Cal said, wrapping his other arm around Gillian's waist when she stepped back again. They admired their creation together in silent awe for a minute or two. Glee's version of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" could be heard in the background. Hard as they tried to remain serious and in the moment, once the song began telling of the three words that best described him, they all burst into laughter.

"Well, I think that's a record for tonight. We were quiet and serious for a whole ten seconds," Gillian commented with a laugh.

"Who needs quiet and serious, anyway? Quiet and serious is boring, especially when decorating a Christmas tree," Emily replied. "Hey! Can I take some pictures? I wanna put them on my Facebook," she said, setting into motion the next phase of her plan.

"Facebook?" Cal questioned, enunciating the word slowly, as though he didn't know how to pronounce it.

"Yeah, Facebook," Gillian teased, "You know, the social networking site that just about everyone in the world uses except for you and…I don't know, maybe the pygmies?"

"No, the pygmies use it, too," Emily retorted with a smirk.

"Well pardon me for having a book to write and a daughter who steals my laptop," Cal replied, nudging Emily playfully.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and pose," Emily said, grinning and pulling out her camera.

Cal grabbed Gillian and dipped her. "Cal!" she said in surprise, laughing as Emily captured the moment with her Nikon.

"Awww," the youngest Lightman said, admiring her photography skills. "Okay, now stand over there," Emily instructed, pointing towards the entranceway to the room.

"Yes, ma'am!" Cal said, playing along and posing with Gillian as they'd been told, his arm over her shoulder, her hand rested on his back.

"No, no, that's all wrong," Emily said, shaking her head, "You should hug each other. No, but still face forward. Like, a sideways hug. Yeah, like that. Don't move…perfect! Got it," she said, all smiles. Suddenly, her expression fell into a frown, "Oh…uh oh, guys."

"What?" Gillian and Cal said together, concern crossing their faces.

"Look where you're standing!" Emily told them, looking up above their heads, where she'd strategically hung the mistletoe earlier that day.

"Oh," Gillian said, chuckling as she looked back at Cal.

"Well, then," he said, leaning over and placing a tender kiss to her cheek.

"Oh come on, dad, that was pathetic," Emily said, "And you didn't even kiss her long enough for me to get a picture. Give her a _real_ kiss this time, no cheeks allowed. Mistletoe rules."

"That so, eh?" he asked, chuckling and shaking his head. "It seems I have a very insistent and rule-abiding daughter," Cal said, turning his attention to Gillian, whose cheeks had begun to blush. She wasn't sure whether it was from the kiss he'd already given her, or the kiss he was now _supposed_ to give her.

"So it would seem," she agreed.

"Apologies for my scruffiness, love," he said with a grin, leaning in to kiss her again, this time brushing his lips against hers, ever so lightly, as though she might break if he weren't careful. Emily captured it quickly, at just the right moment. When the two adults pulled apart, they were both smiling. "How was that, Em?" Cal asked, his eyes still focused on Gillian's.

Emily responded by taking another photograph. "Perfect," she said, "Wanna see them?"

"Please," Cal said, walking over to his daughter with Gillian, arm around her waist.

Emily scrolled back to the first picture, "I'm no face reader, but that's surprise there, on Gillian, and dad…well, happiness. And smugness."

"Smugness isn't a universal, darling," Cal objected with a chuckle.

"Whatever, not the point," Emily said, smiling and showing them the picture of their sideways hug. "You two are so cute. This should be like, one of those pictures that comes with the frame," she suggested, moving on to the one of their kiss. "Now _that_," she said, gazing at the photo intently, "That's something."

Cal laughed, "_Something_? That's the best word you can come up with?"

"Love," Emily replied quickly, "It's something like love." Gillian's cheeks flushed again at the comment. Cal smiled, but stayed silent, giving Gillian a soft squeeze as Emily showed them the last picture, the one she'd snapped just after the kiss. "So cute," she said, handing over the camera to her father, "I'm gonna go get myself some more cocoa. BRB!"

"Hey, I thought you didn't like text-talk!" Cal called out to her as she scurried away.

"Not from _you_, dad," she corrected him from the kitchen.

"What a girl I've got," Cal said with a laugh, still staring at that last photograph, "We _are_ a handsome couple, aren't we, love? Look at that. _Fantastically_ good-lookin'…and I'm not half bad, either," he joked (really only _partly_ joking), his arm still around her.

Gillian chuckled, "Very lovely, indeed," she agreed, staring at the image.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, lowering the device and turning his attention towards her and her contemplative expression.

"Nothing, I just…times like this, with the two of you, it…it feels like home. Like family," she said, shrugging, "I like it."

"Me too, darling, me too," he agreed, kissing her cheek as Emily re-entered the room.

"Hey, guys? Liam just called and he wants to know if I can meet him at the movies," she told them – this was only a half-truth, seeing as she'd been the one to call Liam and suggest the movie, but they didn't really need to know that.

"Good thing," Cal said, "We were about to dust off the old records," he told her, breaking from Gillian to give his daughter a hug, "Behave yourself, then, and be home by midnight," he told her, kissing the side of her head.

"I will. Love you, dad," she said, kissing his cheek, then walking over and hugging Gillian, "Love you too, Gill."

Gillian beamed, "Love you, Em," she replied, "Have a good time."

"Thanks. You, too," she said with a smirk, "I'll see you later." Emily went on her way, satisfied that she'd done her part. She knew she had to leave the rest up to her dad and Gillian. Hopefully, they were no longer as clueless about their love for one another as they had been earlier that day.

"Well, shall we put some Sinatra on the hi-fi?" Cal joked to Gillian, who chuckled.

"I think we shall," she responded, "More cocoa?"

Cal nodded, "Thanks, love," he said, walking over to his stereo and putting on his Sinatra Christmas Collection CD.

_Snow is snowin',  
Wind is blowin',  
I can weather the storm,  
What do I care  
How much it may storm?  
Got my love to keep me warm._

"Ahh. Now _that's_ music," he said, smiling as Gillian returned with the cocoa. "Dance with me?" he requested, setting his mug on the table.

"Yes, but first thing's first," Gillian said, grinning. She took a generous sip of her drink and then set it down, "Mm. _Now_ we can dance."

Cal laughed, "So predictable, you are," he said, pulling her close and swaying with her, his arms around her waist, hers around his neck. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought Em was tryin' to set us up earlier," he told her.

"You think? 'Oh no, look where you're standing!'" she mimicked, both laughing.

"You think she's onto somethin'?" he asked curiously.

_Off with my overcoat,  
Off with my glove.  
Who needs an overcoat?  
I'm burnin' with love._

"I…what do you mean?" Gillian asked, her heart picking up a bit of speed.

"Nothing, love, just that," he shrugged, "Well, I can't say I didn't enjoy our little mistletoe rendezvous, know what I mean?" he asked, a hint of nervousness in his laugh that Gillian wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't known him so well.

"I did, too," she admitted, her fingers gently toying with his hair. The silence that followed was thick with tension as they continued to sway. Gillian rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes.

"Gill," Cal said softly, his eyes still open.

"Hm," came her equally soft reply, keeping her eyes closed. Rather than using words, Cal decided his actions would speak louder. He closed the distance between them, capturing her lips with his own in a kiss as soft and sweet as the one they'd shared beneath the mistletoe. He resisted deepening it until he felt her respond, which she quickly did.

_My heart's on fire,  
Flame grows higher,  
I will weather the storm.  
What do I care  
How much it may storm?  
Got my love to keep me warm._

As the song went on, the intensity of their kiss grew. Cal ran his tongue along her lower lip, silently requesting entry, which she allowed, meeting his tongue with her own. His arms tightened around her, and she cradled the back of his head in her hand, drawing them closer. This continued through the song's final notes, but when the song ended, so did the kiss. Gillian pulled back, suddenly all too aware of what had just transpired.

"Cal, I…what—what _was_ that?"

"Darling, if I have to tell you what that was, we've _really_ got a lot to talk about," he joked, chuckling softly.

"Cal, be serious for a second!" she chastised, "What is this between us? Is it just you getting all wrapped up in the whole holiday thing, with the tree and the cocoa and mistletoe and music?"

"Yes," he replied instantly. Gillian's face fell. "No, love, I didn't mean it like that. I meant, yes, it's the holiday thing. But, you know, that's not bad." Her lips were still frozen in the frowning position. He sighed, knowing he needed to make his point a bit more clearly.

"It's like this," he told her, picking up Emily's camera and showing her the picture his daughter had taken just after their first kiss, "This camera doesn't lie. Do you see the way I'm lookin' at you there? Em noticed it. That's what I meant when I said she was onto somethin'. She said it looked like love," he set the camera down and put his arms back around her, "I think she was right, Gill."

Gillian licked her lips and looked down, too nervous to meet his eyes. Cal smiled and lifted her chin, "Is this just in my head?" he asked, searching her face for any indication that she felt it, too.

She shook her head, "No, it's not," came her soft reply, "But I-"

He pressed his forefinger to her lips, silencing her, "No buts, love. Not anymore. Now, I know I've been somethin' of a plonker as of late, but – what you said earlier – you're my family, Gill, you and Em. You're my partner, my best friend…and kissing you just now felt bloody fantastic, if we're bein' honest. I'd like to do a lot more of it if you'll let me."

"So what you're saying is—"

"I want you, Gillian."

"Is that all?"

"Of course not," he said, sighing softly, "You know how I feel about you. How I've always felt."

"Tell me," she requested nervously, "For once, please, just tell me."

"I love you, Gill. Always have, always will," he told her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She grinned, "So you're a poet now?" she asked with a soft chuckle.

"For you, maybe," he replied with a laugh, "Only at Christmastime, though. Don't expect this sort of sappiness year round," he warned her.

"I don't expect _anything_ with you, Cal," she told him, re-fastening her arms securely around his neck.

"Oh, so you're not expectin' this, then?" he asked, pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

"Well, I kind of expected _that_," she answered with a laugh. "I love you, too, by the way," she continued softly, "A bit too much, probably."

"Even when I'm a world-class plonker?"

She chuckled, "Even then," she reassured him. "This is gonna work out, right? This whole you and me, mixing business with pleasure, crossing the line thing…"

"Absobloodylutely," he replied quickly, "Let me show you how," he suggested, grinning as he claimed her lips again.

"Well, it's about time you caught on. I thought I was gonna have to _literally_ spell it out for you. Good thing a picture's worth a thousand words." A grinning Emily stood in the doorway with Liam, watching them.

They pulled apart in surprise. "What happened to the movie, eh?" Cal asked, more annoyed that their kiss had been interrupted than he was embarrassed. Gillian, however, had cheeks rosier than he'd ever seen on her.

"Sold out," Emily told them, shrugging, "Mind if we hang with you?"

"Of course I mind!" Cal exclaimed, his voice higher-pitched than usual.

"Good," she replied, grinning and pulling Liam into the room, "Let's watch The Grinch, then. He kinda reminds me of you, dad!" Emily teased, searching through their DVD collection.

"Oi! Didn't I just tell you to get out of here?" Cal asked, though not unkindly.

"Cal," Gillian said warningly.

"No," Emily jumped in happily, not missing a beat, "Besides, you love me. And the Grinch. And Gillian. And you'll _learn_ to love Liam if you give him a chance, so this is the perfect opportunity to do that. _Family_ time," she told him, grinning smugly.

Cal sighed over-dramatically, a teasing smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, "Oh, alright, then, if you insist."

"I do," Emily said, kissing his cheek, then Gillian's. "I'm glad you finally got it," she told them, "Best Christmas present _ever_."

"Too right, you are," Cal agreed, turning and kissing Gillian gently. "Merry Christmas, darling," he said to her softly.

"Merry Christmas, Cal," she replied, smiling brightly. And it was. The merriest.

**THE END.**


End file.
